Conference napalm::commusic_v1

1521.0. "Roland D50 Hidden Funcs, Yamaha TX81z Patches, M-EX" by SUBSYS::ORIN (AMIGA te amo) Fri Jul 08 1988 13:49

Subject: D-50 PG-1000

(from usenet)

In most synths there are a few hidden functions that are used for repairs.
The keys must be pressed first then turn the synth on after...
 
D-50:   SPACE + DECREMENT : Test mode.  You can test all buttons, foot switch
                            and notes (for velocity + pressure)  Also checks
                            memory and a card...
          "   + INCREMENT : Gives credits and ROM version.....
          "   + WRITE     : Tests L.A. Chip.  You choose exact test by hitting
                            UPPER(Audio test), LOWER(D/A test??), VAL(mute) and
                            LOCAL(exit!).
          "   + DATA TRANS: Initilize global paramaters such as tuning, patch
                            number for startup etc....
                            Does NOT affect Patches (don't quote me on this...)
 
PG-1000: PARA REQ : Button/Led test
         MANUAL   : ROM version
         PARA + MAN : Credits....
 
By the way my ROM showed 1.06 or so.  I think the latest is 2.00
Also the velocity for notes was always from 09 to 127.  
______________________________________________________________________________
 
TX81Z:
 
name:Gong Ageng             TX81Z Editor, (c) 1987, Ross Sponholtz
 
o    A  D1  D1  D2  R EG Out Lvl Rte EG   Amp Vel  Fix/ Rng/ Crs Fin De   Wave
p    R  R   L   R   R Sf put Scl Scl bias Mod Sens Rat  Mul          Tune Form
 
1   24  24  14   3  1  0 94   0    2   0  off   3  rat   0    4   0  -3     1
2    7   4  13   0  1  0 71   0    2   0  off   4  rat   0    5   0   3     1
3   16   6   7   4  2  0 99   0    2   0  off   3  rat   0    4   0   3     1
4   11   4  11   1  1  0 67  22    0   0  off   4  rat   0    5  10   0     1
 
Algorithm  5
 
==================================================================
 
name:Gender                 TX81Z Editor, (c) 1987, Ross Sponholtz
 
o    A  D1  D1  D2  R EG Out Lvl Rte EG   Amp Vel  Fix/ Rng/ Crs Fin De   Wave
p    R  R   L   R   R Sf put Scl Scl bias Mod Sens Rat  Mul          Tune Form
 
1   31  18  13   3  6  0 99   0    0   0  off   1  rat   0    4   0  -3     1
2   31  14  12   4  6  0 74   0    1   0  off   4  rat   0    6  11   3     1
3   24  19  12   3  8  0 89   0    0   0  off   4  rat   0   16   2   3     1
4   21  19  10   5  6  0 84   0    1   0  off   4  rat   0   25  14   3     2
 
Algorithm  8
================================================================
 
name:Saron                  TX81Z Editor, (c) 1987, Ross Sponholtz
 
o    A  D1  D1  D2  R EG Out Lvl Rte EG   Amp Vel  Fix/ Rng/ Crs Fin De   Wave
p    R  R   L   R   R Sf put Scl Scl bias Mod Sens Rat  Mul          Tune Form
 
1   31  17  15   7  6  0 99   0    2   0  off   2  rat   0    4   0  -3     1
2   31  12  12   6  6  0 93   0    2   0  off   5  rat   0    6  12   3     1
3   31  13  15   8  3  0 94   0    3   0  off   5  rat   0   17   2   3     2
4   29   9  10   5  6  0 80   0    1   0  off   5  rat   0   25  15   3     1
 
Algorithm  8
______________________________________________________________________________

-------------------------------- QUESTIONAIRE----------------------------------
 
If there are any questions you don't understand on the questionnaire, SKIP THEM.
(Or ask someone more knowledgeable for help.)
 
 
- Do you want a synthesizer for:  (check all that apply)
 
	a)	Live performance
	b)	Home recording
	c)	Professional studio recording
	d)	Learning about synthesis
	e)	Just plain fun
	f)      Composition
	g)	Other (specify)
 
- The maximum amount of money you will spend is:	$___________
 
- Do you need:  (check all that apply)
 
	a)	An amplifier?
	b)	A speaker?
	c)	A keyboard stand?
	d)	A keyboard case?
 
- In the previous question, would you like the cost of the items you chose
INCLUDED IN or SEPARATE FROM your answer to question #2??
 
- Are you buying this synth as a short-term or long-term investment?
 
- How many notes would you like to be able to play simutaneously? (i.e., How
many voices?)
 
	a)	less than 8
	b)	8
	c)	16
	d)	24
	e)	more than 24
 
- Do you want your synth to be able to produce more than one sound at a time?
(Multi-timbral instrument.)  How many sounds at a time?
 
- What kind of sounds do you want to have your synth create?
 
	a)	mostly acoustic imitations
	b) 	mostly synthetic "non-acoustic" sounds
	
- What styles of music do you want to use your synth for?
 
	a)	rock
	b)	dance
	c)	new age
	d)	classical
	e)	other (specify)
	
- Is the style of music you want to make have any particular cultural
associatations? (e.g. black dance music, hispanic salsa, etc...)
 
- What kind of physical keyboard do you want on the synthesizer?  (Check all
that apply)
 
	a)	No keyboard at all
	b)	Plastic
	c)	Wooden (weighted)
	d)	Velocity sensitive ("touch sensitive")
	e)	Pressure sensitive
	f)	Release-velocity sensitive
	g)	Full size keys
	h)	Mini keys
	i)	5 octaves
	j)	Less than 5 octaves
	k)	More than 5 octaves
	l)	88 keys (full piano range)
 
- What is your existing keyboard setup?  What new capabilities do you want your
new synth to add to it?
 
- Do you know what MIDI is?  Do you want your synth to have MIDI capabilities?
 
- Do you own a home computer?  What kind?  Do you want to hook up your synth to
your computer?
 
- Do you want a sequencer?  Do you want it built into the synth, or will you use
an external sequencer?
 
- Do you want to be able to create your own sounds, or will you be satisfied
with pre-programmed sounds alone?  (If your answer is "pre-programmed", you
don't have to answer any more questions.)
 
- Are you familiar with the different types of synthesis?  Which synthesis type
would you prefer?  (Check all that apply.)
 
	a)	Subtractive (sometimes called "analog")
	b)	Frequency Modulation (FM)
	c)	Phase Distortion (PD)
	d)	Additive
	e)	Digital sampling
	f)	Wavetable
 
- If you are interested in digital sampling, is disk loading time a big issue
for you (some load as fast as 4 seconds, some as slow as 70 seconds)
	
- Do you want extensive modulation capabilities?  (If you don't know what this
is, skip the question.)
 
- Are you willing to invest a lot of time becoming a good synth programmer?  Or
is this just a casual hobby?  Or are you ALREADY a good synth programmer??
 
- Do you want the synth to be just a synth, or a "all in one work station" with
a built in sequencer, disk drive, drum machine, etc.?
 

    Should this note really be titled "COMMUSIC Relevant Stuff from
    USENET", with D50, TX81Z and Choosing-a-Synth as keywords?
    
    len.
    

    To make this note of some redeeming value to D50 owners, the latest
    Roland rag (RUG, that is) mentions a new product from a German firm
    that makes the D50 and D550 multi-timbral! 

    The board is distributed in the US by Steinberg/Russ Jones marketing,
    and is called M-EX.  It isn't a real multi-timbral modification in the
    truest sense of the word: D50 patches normally use 2 tones a piece.
    This board allows you to play eight TONES (not patches) at a time -
    each can have its own MIDI channel, position, and tone select.  The
    thing also allows up to 8 tones to be stacked on a single "patch". It
    also gives the D50 keyboard the ability to transmit on two separate MII
    channels. 

    Now, here's the rub - the article says that "the MIDI response seems to
    be about the same - it doesn't appear to slow up the CPU chip in the
    unit".  Hmmm - I *wonder* why they put that in there.

    No info on price that I saw.  Thought there was something on it
    in September's Keyboard, but couldn't find it.

-b

	There was some info on the USENET about this.  I seem to remember
	a price of $299, on sale.  Installation was described as easy,
	remove a chip and place this board in it's place.  Then solder
	a wire to a pin on another chip and shaboom, you're in business.

	I'll try to dig up the info...

	Dan

Path: shlump.nac.dec.com!decwrl!purdue!ames!pacbell!varian!vaxwaller!barry
From: [email protected] (Barry Nesmith)
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Subject: D-50/D-550 Multi-timbral Option
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Date: 29 Aug 89 00:15:20 GMT
Organization: Varian Instruments, Walnut Creek CA
Lines: 40
 
I got one of these from Guitar Center in Oakland yesterday. I know that there's
been a few postings about it so far but I thought I'd mention it again in case
anyone's interested. (Sorry if all this has already been said)
The small board adds 8 part multi-timbrality to the D-50 (or the D-550).
It doesn't add any more voices. They remain at 16. It does, though, add another
bank of 64 patches that can be used to store new sounds. Now, in addition to
the 64 Internal sounds and the 64 Card Sounds there are (at least) 64 sounds
in the new Bank X. Apparently, there is another version of this board that
adds provision for 128 new sounds with the other 64 sounds on Bank Y. The 
board has a 512K ROM, a 256K Static Ram, and its own Battery to back up the
sounds. There is an empty socket presumably for another Static Ram. Unfortun-
ately, it appears that there are also several support IC's unloaded so it's
not a simple matter of installing another Ram in order to get the additional
64 sound locations. :-(  They've also scratched off the label on the support
chips to further confuse matters. Oh well.......
The board is VERY simple to install. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes. Pop out
the old EPROM, solder 1 wire to the leg of one chip, and plug the new board
into the old EPROM socket. The only (minor) problem I had was that the screw
and spacer used to permanently mount the board had the wrong size spacer
which caused the board to lift up. This was solved by using a different spacer.
There are now several new displays. The additional patch locations had sounds
loaded. They were for the most part unusable and are obviously just there so
that *something* was there. The best part are the Patch names! Someone had
a sense of humor.
Since I just put it together last night I have yet to test the multi-timbral
aspects of it. It appears to be a nice upgrade at this stage. Well made.
Guitar Center currently has them on sale for $299. The list price is $495.
The unit is called the MEX (multi expansion). It's made by Musitronics.
This is that fabled West German product that's been mentioned here.
The address is:
 
		TSI GmbH, Neustr. 12, 5481 Waldorf, West Germany
 
I'll post more on it as I play with it some. Hope this helps.
 
				Barry Nesmith
-- 
 
{zehntel,dual,amd,fortune,rtech,lll-crg,rtgvax,pacbell,csi}
						!varian!vaxwaller!barry

    Hi!
    I bought a ROLAND D50, a Mex (Multi EXpander) from Musitronics and
    a pg 1000 for 14.500 sek, that's about $2300, the other week.
    In addition i bought a 8-track sequenser from ALESIS (don't rememeber
    it's name) and i'm very pleased. Still, a warning about the MEX.
    It's not all of the D50's where the ram is mounted in a socket. The
    older ones were soldered to the board. AND i'm still looking for
    a good piano sound. By the way, does anybody a good pair of small
    speakers to use with the synth.
    
    
    
    
    		Jack